VR Monsters Warn Kids About Polluted H20 in Campaign From Water Is Life

Deutsch Uses Gaming to Educate

By Ann-Christine Diaz.Published on Mar 06, 2017

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Non-profit organization Water is Life is known for its creative approaches to helping those in need of clean drinking water, with campaigns such as the "Hashtag Killer" and "Kenya Bucket List" campaign out of DDB New York and the more recent "Last Family Portrait" via Deutsch New York. Deutsch now brings the organization's efforts into virtual reality with "Hidden Dangers," which seeks to educate kids about the "monsters" lurking in unsafe waters through gaming.

M ss ng P eces and its director Tucker Walsh, as well as Ntropic + Tactic teamed with Deutsch on the effort, which consists of the VR game as well as a three-minute documentary short about how it's helped to educate kids in a remote Thai village. The game recasts bacteria and chemicals as beasts who dwell in their nearby waters. The overall campaign is also meant to drive fundraising efforts for WiL, which supports ongoing clean water initiatives and the distribution of special straws that filter water in polluted environments.

"Clean water is a universal problem, and the Hidden Dangers marketing campaign is a smart, artistic way to bring real-world problems -- and their solutions -- to the forefront," said Water Is Life Founder and CEO Ken Surrite in a statement. "We realized that by using VR, we could make the real dangers visible. These children will never forget the monsters they saw, but they also won't forget how to clean the water and defeat them."

"Hidden Dangers really shows the power VR has as a tool to both educate and inspire children's imaginations from places all around the world," added Deutsch NY. CCO Dan Kelleher. "The docu-short is a beautiful piece that captures the real-life impact of Water Is Life's mission. We're honored to be part of this very important cause."